Kent woman jailed for drinking on flight to Dubai

A woman has hit out after spending three days in jail for drinking alcohol on a flight to Dubai.

Dr Ellie Holman says she and her four-year-old daughter were detained after she admitted having a glass of wine during the eight-hour flight from London.

The 44-year-old from Sevenoaks was arrested after being questioned about whether she had drunk alcohol by an immigration official at Dubai International Airport.

Dr Ellie Holman and her daughter

She told KentOnline: "We just want to come home."

Dr Holman, who has two other children, says she was held at an airport detention centre and was not allowed to call her husband Gary.

She flew into the Gulf state on an Emirates Airlines flight on July 13 and was told her visa was not valid - despite the fact she has visited the UAE several times before.

It is understood she was told her visa was valid for a single visit and ended up being detained after she started filming the immigration officer when he became "dismissive and rude" as she pleaded to be allowed to stay.

Ellie Holman was detained after taking an Emirates flight to Dubai

"My little girl had to go to the toilet on the cell floor. I have never heard her cry in the same way as she did in that cell," she told the Daily Mail.

"My passport remains confiscated until the case is settled, which I have been told will take at least a year.

"So far this situation has cost me around £30,000 in legal fees, expenses and missed work.